


Diadem

by ImmortalError



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Everyone Needs A Hug, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Heartache, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Shiro is a space nerd, Space Dad Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 14:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15687333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImmortalError/pseuds/ImmortalError
Summary: Shiro meets a boy while running calculations on the eclipsing of a star. He doesn't know that the little project will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.A timeline of Adam and Shiro's time at the Galaxy Garrison.





	Diadem

It took Takashi Shirogane a long time to figure out what it was that he was passionate about. When he was a child, everyone around him seemed to have it locked down, anything ranging from sports or health to art or music, they all had their hobbies. Shiro, however, was much slower in discovering what it was that interested him. He had participated in a lot as a child. He was a basketball player, a piano player, he joined a fire brigade, he worked in an old fruit and vegetable shop, he did a whole range of incredibly engaging passions- none of which were incredibly engaging to him. Well, not enough to ensure he stuck around. Time passed, Shiro thought maybe he was destined for something a little more obscure.   
  
Shiro had spent years being 'normal'. He'd worked hard and met school deadlines and sat in traffic for years with what seemed like no end. Until one day, he dropped his head back and sighed. And when he opened his eyes; the millions of glimmering lights caught his attention. For years he'd ignored them, they were simply part of the sky. But the more he had stared, the more they had meant.   
  
Shiro has never considered looking up.   
  
Before long he was plotting his own star charts and memorising the skeleton of the sky. Pin pricks of light became reference points, maps began to burn patterns in his mind. He knew the geography of the night sky better then he knew the ground beneath his feet. By that time, electing subjects had become the most important thing at school. Shiro ticked all that he’d need; psychics, chemistry, engineering, anything that called out to him. He was beginning to love the idea of the vastness of the universe, that love drove him to the Galaxy Garrison.   
  
Shiro took up flying, but he never stopped wondering what it was like anywhere else but Earth. He wondered if he could see the gorgeous shades of nebulae in the eyes of people. He wondered if, one day, they could reach those nebulae. Shiro’s soul’s architecture was built from star clusters and moon dust. He studied hard, he worked hard, but regardless of the strain he was put under, he’d always find time to learn just a little bit more. He often found himself at the Garrison’s projective room, where the universe was simulated as holographic projections. He enjoyed silence to think, he’d always go at the most obscure hours. So, when a voice came from the darkness, he’d been rather surprised.   
  
“A fan of _α Com_?”  
  
The voice had been curious, genuine. Shiro had turned to see the origin, a man was stood by the control panel. In the darkness, his glasses were highlighted by the screen’s reflection. His hair fell just above his eyes but was difficult to identify a shade in the dark room.   
“I’m sorry?”  
“α Com, _Diadem_.” The man extended his hand outwards, pointing to the star that Shiro had been writing notes about a mere moment before hand. The figure stepped from the darkness, “don’t see many people looking at this star, the Coma Berenices constellation is... _obscure_.”   
“Oh,” Shiro turned back to the projection, thinking about the star. It wasn’t well known, although it represented Queen Berenice II of Egypt and her hair, which was sacrificed as on offering. It wasn’t as well known as many other constellations, “I wouldn’t say Diadem is obscure. I’d say... _under appreciated_.”   
  
The man walked to stand beside him, looking up at the display of Alpha Comae Berenices. Shiro looked to his right, watching how the man’s eyes narrowed at the display. He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.   
_“Under appreciated...”_ he had whispered in echo, “I like that...”   
The small smile that bloomed on his face was enough to replicate the same on Shiro’s lips. The man turned to look Shiro in the eyes, the lights dancing across his glasses. There was kindness in those eyes, Shiro felt drawn to them.   
“I’m Adam.” The man held his hand out, Shiro hesitated for a second,  
“Shiro.” Returning the gesture, Shiro looked back to the lights. Beautiful stars dotting the room and illuminating the air with gorgeous constellations.  
“So... why take the time to take a look at it? The beta star is brighter...”   
“It’s not about the brightness, it’s about the star itself...” Shiro told him, looking from his notes back up to his display.   
“Oh.” Adam seemed to realise, although he seemed almost irritated about it. “It’s binary, I can’t believe that slipped my mind.”   
Shiro chuckled lightly,  
“We can’t remember everything.”   
“No, I guess not...” Adam smiled slightly, “so are you running calculations on the orbit, or?”   
“Not exactly, I want to see the next eclipse...”  
“Why not observe Perseus then? At least their eclipses are well known.”   
Shiro thought about his answer for a few seconds, the end of his pen resting on his lip.   
“Diadem is known for being unpredictable. People have been miscalculating and missing eclipses for years. I’d like to get it right... there’s not much fun in it being easy.”  
“No...” Adam trailed off, repeating himself, _“I guess not...”_  
  
Despite his maintenance shift ending, Adam had hung around. He questioned Shiro on his calculations and the history of the star. The two of them had walked around the display, occasionally looking past the light into each other’s eyes. Shiro found, for the first time, that he preferred not being in silence. Calculations became easier to run, although they seemed useless. Adam would chuckle slightly every time Shiro’s calculations stumped him. Shiro almost seemed to growl at the pad and paper and, for the first time, Adam found a sort of joy in incorrect calculations. Although Shiro’s frustration was bothering him, the smile on Adam’s face almost seemed worth it. Hours passed without much success, and eventually Adam had to leave.   
“I have a class in ten, I gotta run. I wish you well with the calculations.” Adam paused by the door, looking back into the darkness of the room, “I hope our paths cross again.”  
Shiro smiled,  
“Likewise.”  
  
Days passed without another interaction. Shiro was taking a break from his Diadem project with classes back up and running. His flight course was going well, before long he was in the top of his class. Although he couldn’t help but wonder which class Adam was in, and what the likelihood was that they’d meet again. The Galaxy Garrison wasn’t small, that was for sure. So it was surprising for Shiro to be doing as well as he was, his mind seemed to be drifting elsewhere.   
“You getting back to your Diadem project anytime soon?” Matt has asked over lunch,   
“Huh?” Shiro awoke from his own thoughts, “oh, right, definitely.”   
“You okay? You’ve been distant.” Matt spoke through an apple, his glasses too low on his nose.   
“I’m good, just this Diadem project is difficult.”  
“I don’t know why you chose _α Com_ when you could’ve chosen Perseus, at least those eclipses are easier to account for.”   
Shiro rolled his eyes with a huff of a laugh,  
“That’s exactly what Adam said.”  
Shiro watched Matt’s face scrunch up in confusion,  
“Who?”  
“A friend...” Shiro trailed off, “I would say he’s helping me but, really, he’s just been laughing when I get the calculations wrong.”  
“Well, you chose Diadem so it’s your own fault. This Adam sounds like a smart man.”   
  
Shiro found himself in the projective room a lot more often then he used to. Classes became more difficult, his grades seemed to be harder to fight for, his schedule was so hectic he often forgot what the day was, but he always found time to visit the projective room. At least for twenty minutes. The silence had returned to the room, he was often left without much disturbance. As the visits went by, Shiro began to realise there was disappointment in that silence. He felt a sense of loneliness in his isolation. Until one day, a familiar voice.   
  
“You are persistent, aren’t you?”   
Shiro couldn’t explain the smile on his face, “oh, you could say that.”   
He turned to see Adam standing by the door, silhouetted by the corridor light.   
“How goes the calculations? Reached an eclipse date yet?”  
“Nope! And at this point, I’m not sure if I will.” Shiro sounded exasperated, “a few centuries ago they thought it was every 26 years but the changes in the stars since have been difficult to account for.”  
Adam walked over to the projections,   
“Magnitude 4.32, man you made this difficult for yourself.”  
“Oh I’m painfully aware.”   
“Pass me some paper, I’ll see if I can help.”  
To both of their dismays, neither of them were any real help. It was difficult to calculate for the range of factors the binary star presented. With the Garrison focusing on the moons of outer planets, there was no surprise Diadem had slipped under the radar and the amount of information they had about it was minimal. Adam had to get to another class, he was sure to apologise for his uselessness and wished Shiro luck. As he packed up, Shiro noticed that Adam has left his calculations on the desk. He opened the folded paper to see the unexpected.   
  
_“Let’s meet over a non-Diadem related conversation? Call me._ _  
_ _-Adam”_  
  
The mature man Shiro had found himself to be over his time with the Galaxy Garrison was forgotten in that moment. He smiled so brightly to himself in the darkness of the projector room that it would’ve matched the displays. So Shiro has done just what the note had told him to do. He made the call. They agreed to meetings and catch ups and, slowly but surely, Shiro found that the only thing that could make him smile was Adam. Adam who, always complained about the left stem of his glasses. Adam who, despite being top of his class would always stress over exams. Adam who, would randomly outburst seemingly obscure suggestions like; Shiro would look good with a white streak in his hair.   
  
Occasionally, they would return to the projection room to run more trials. Only this time, with intertwined hands. That room became a meeting place. It had been how they met and so, it seemed like safe haven. One late night, Shiro had been adamant about finishing the calculation but his exhaustion was getting the better of him. He turned sharply and ran into Adam, catching himself in the man’s arms,  
“Sorry, I...” Shiro looked into his eyes and trailed off, staring at them as if he saw the universe in them,  
“What is it?” Adam asked.   
“Your eyes... they look like the Trifid Nebula.” Shiro whispered. Adam smiled and, before Shiro could say another word, Adam kissed him. It was light and delicate but it seemed to set Shiro’s lips on fire. A first kiss, a perfect moment.   
  
Their one year anniversary somehow snuck up on them. With final assessments being handed in and applications to the next years classes, neither of them had been free enough to discuss what they were going to do. Adam had been the first one back to their dorm and, despite being exhausted and covered in engine fuel, he found the energy to make the place presentable. Enough candles were lit so that the dorm could go without lights. Adam liked the peacefulness that came with flickering flames and the scent of lemongrass. Before he could get changed, Shiro had arrived home. He had looked just as exhausted, if not more, but the smile on his face warmed Adam’s heart.   
  
“You look... _dead_.” Shiro told him with a smug smile, placing his bag down and crashing onto the sofa. Adam had laughed as Shiro settled across his lap, looking up at his boyfriend. Fingers intertwined in Shiro’s hair, messing around with the longer parts of it. Shiro’s breathing slowed as he sunk into the couch. He could’ve lay there forever with Adam’s hand in his hair and the scent of lemongrass.  
“I know we weren’t supposed to get each other anything, but...” Shiro blindly grabbed for his bag. From it, he pulled a black leather case and handed it to Adam, “I got you this.”  
“ _Takashi_.” Adam has hissed, a grin on his lips.   
“I know, I know.” Shiro watched as Adam opened the case. He delicately took the glasses out of them, watching as Adam inspected them.   
“Oh, they’re gorgeous...”   
“Well you’ve been complaining about yours...”  Shiro reached up and took his glasses from his nose. The new frames fit Adam’s face, “ _perfect_...”   
“Well... I got you something too...” Adam reached to the desk beside him and handed Shiro the piece of paper.   
Shiro furrowed his brow, looking from the paper to Adam.   
“Just open it.”  
Curious, Shiro unfolded it. The light made it difficult to read the mass amount of numbers and symbols on the page.   
“What is...” =  
“It’s the correct calculations. _Diadem will eclipse in 6 years...”_  
Almost embarrassingly, Shiro teared up. He had to cover his face, laughing beneath his palms.   
“Adam, I can’t believe...” Adam lightly took Shiro’s hands from his face so he could smile at him. Adam laughed,  
“I can’t believe you’re crying over some numbers.”  
Instead, Shiro’s hands went to Adam’s jaw and dragged him down into a kiss.   
“I love you.”  
“I love you too.”   
  
It wasn’t much long after their anniversary that Keith became involved in both of their lives. Adam couldn’t forget the day Shiro returned home with a small boy whose glare was sharper than any of the knives in their kitchen and had simply said.   
“Adam meet Keith. Keith, Adam.”   
No other context was given.   
“Did you just... _steal_ a child?” Adam shrugged,   
“I wouldn’t say steal. He’ll be with us for a while though.” Adam had reared his head back when Shiro said that, “you’re just through there Keith, make yourself comfortable.”  
The moment Keith was out of earshot, Adam lent further over the counter.   
“Takashi. Neither one of us knows how to look after a kid? Do we just, water and feed him every day?” His satire laced hiss didn’t drag Shiro’s mood down in the slightest.   
“Adam.” Shiro took Adam’s hands in his own, resting their foreheads together. “Calm down. I see a lot of potential in Keith. He’ll be good for both of us.”   
  
Keith was troubling at first. His attitude seemed to prove difficult to change and Shiro was losing sleep over it. He’d toss and turn, pull at the sheets of their bed, or sit up at night staring at seemingly nothing. Adam would do his best to coax Shiro into unconsciousness, by repeating his own argument. That Keith would be good for them. Thankfully, as Keith seemed to grow older, he began to lash out less than usual. There was the occasional incident where another student went too far with their insults and Keith couldn’t help but throw a punch. It was the poor kid’s instinct, Adam felt his heart ache for the boy. Shiro once returned home with Keith wearing a black eye like a badge of honour. Shiro himself had a smile plastered on his face, the kind of smile that was obviously trying to be hidden.   
“What happened??” Adam had asked,  
“Some kid called you two stupid for taking me in.” Keith sniffed, clearly still angry.   
“Tell Adam exactly what the kid said.”  
“He said ‘ _your space dads are stupid to have taken your worthless ass in_ ’.” Adam laughed but quickly covered it to the best of his abilities.   
“ _Space dads_?!” Shiro mouthed from behind Keith, throwing his arms up in confusion. Adam shrugged in return, failing to wipe the smile from his face.   
  
The following year, on Keith’s birthday, the two of them put together enough money to buy a telescope. It was a high tech one, with automated systems and scheduling programmers. Keith had been thankful for it, although confused when asked to enter in a specific location, date and time.   
“Five years away? What’s five years away?” He inquired, pressing the buttons as he read them from the paper. Shiro turned to looked at Adam with a smile, his arm around his waist.  
“A particular star is eclipsing...” Adam trailed off.   
“Which star?”   
“Diadem.” Shiro told him.   
“Huh. Never heard of it. Hey look, there’s something in here... Shiro, look at this...”  
Shiro stepped away to join Keith by the scope.   
“What is it?”  
“There’s something in the eyepiece compartment.”   
Shiro carefully put his fingers into the eyepiece container and slowly removed the object. He found it to be a gorgeous small ring, glimmering in a flawless shade of silver. Shiro narrowed his eyes at it, not really too sure how it wouldn’t gotten there.   
“Huh. Adam, look at thi—“ Shiro turned to find Adam on one knee.  
  
Keith refused to forget how long it had taken Shiro to figure out that Adam was proposing. Anytime they were in an argument Keith would use it against him, instantly making whatever they were arguing about amusing. It wasn’t long after that Shiro’s condition began to worsen. The sickness he had barely talked about was suddenly quite a priority. Shiro started taking about treatments and attempts at cures. He put himself forward for every test study and adamantly chased any opportunity regarding space travel. It was as if, without warning, Shiro’s life was on a countdown. There was nothing Adam could do to stop it. The only thing distracting Adam was his own classes and Keith who, despite his previous attitude, was excelling in his own classes. They’d spend good quality time with each other, like a regular family, but the threat of Shiro’s condition was always looming. The word _Kerberos_ started appearing more often. Matthew Holt, a classmate of Shiro’s, was visiting much more frequently. Adam couldn’t help but feel as if he was becoming detached from the present. Around the same time Keith was kicked out of the Garrison for unruly behaviour. He seemed to be losing his grip on the world around him.   
  
Shiro decided he was going to go on the Kerberos mission. Adam knew, deep in his heart, that nothing would convince Shiro otherwise. Adam felt out of place on his own planet, not really knowing where to go. Keith was becoming a stranger and his fiancé was leaving Earth. Adam felt as if he were foreign in his own home. So he distanced himself, with each day pulling harder at the strings on his heart. It felt as if there were stitches throughout it and each was being removed slowly. Torture, almost. It got so painful that, the day of the Kerberos launch, Adam wasn’t anywhere near the launching platform. He, instead, found himself in the projector room. Tucked away in the furthest corner, with his knees by his chest, feeling the rumbles of the launch shaking the ground beneath him. With tears rolling down his cheeks he whispered a last _I love you_ to the air _._  
  
Keith vanished after the launch. He said a final thank you to Adam for everything and then he disappeared off the radar. Adam was questioned about Keith’s whereabouts by the authorities above him, as well as receiving many reminders that his progress at the Garrison should not be halted by any of the recent events. They did, with the slightest amount of concern, offer some shoulders to cry on. None of which were their own shoulders. Adam flooded himself with his work. He left the dorm before it was light outside and returned late into the night. The half-empty bed was a place for sleeping, the entirely-empty house was a place for ignoring. That’s how it went as the years dragged on. A place so full of life had been converted to a place of cold corridors and empty rooms. The night Adam heard the news about the Kerberos incident was the night he became an insomniac.   
  
He would sit by the telescope every night, and stare into the sky thinking. The more he thought, the more tired he became. He lost track of time and purpose, his life had become a broken, lonely record. Silence was the only company he had. It was only when the telescope beside him began to whirr and click that Adam seemed to wake up. The dust-covered scope began moving, and Adam could suddenly place himself in the present. He knew the date, he knew the exact time. Not because he had checked but because the telescope had been told five years prior to align itself in that _exact_ moment. So it did. It whirled and buzzed and moved until the scope was pointed direction at a obscure- _no-_ an _under appreciated_ constellation.  
 _  
_If Shiro was out there by some miracle, Adam couldn’t help but wonder if he was watching Diadem eclipse, like he had so desperately wanted to _all those years ago._

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah we got little out of s7 so I wrote it instead.   
> Shout out to @CelestialRay for no particular reason other then they're the best and I love them. Thanks for attending my TED Talk.  
> If you want to talk to me about season 7, my Tumblr is ImmortalError.


End file.
